Coaching Boys with Sports Psychology: Emotional Regulation, “Next Play,” and Leading People | Desiree Nunez

After three weeks on the road, the Contacts Coaching Podcast returns with Desiree Nunez, a mental health therapist and basketball coach at Eagle Crest High School in the Cherry Creek area near Denver. Nunez shares how coaching was “in her blood” through her Air Force veteran father, how she became a therapist to meet mental health needs in athletics, and how she returned to coaching after COVID—eventually earning head coaching opportunities and winning extensively with freshman teams. She explains practical sports-psychology tools for coaches: normalizing emotions (especially for boys), teaching players to notice and name feelings, locate them in the body, regulate, and then “next play.” She details a three-clap reset, body-language standards, and asking for a sub to reset. The conversation also covers time-management lessons from middle school constraints, combining drills with game-like constraints, and how “challenging” authority through curious questions improves leadership.00:00 Meet Desiree Nunez00:39 Coaching Roots02:33 Therapy Path03:52 Back to the Bench05:38 Military Culture Shift09:25 Sports Psychology Breakthrough11:46 Feelings and Regulation17:21 Notice the Emotion25:09 Halftime and Practice Talks26:38 Three Clap Reset31:27 Coaching Boys as Woman33:05 Coaching Boys as a Woman34:05 Freshman Program Trust Issues36:15 Head Coach Reality Check37:35 45-Minute Practice Crunch39:49 Zoom Out and Prioritize43:12 Game-Like Drills and Constraints48:44 Hack Drills for Weaknesses54:18 Bring It Back to High School57:50 Changing Minds on Challenge01:05:41 Be Willing to Be Cringe01:09:22 Assistant Coach Courage Wrap-Up